[Qgis-developer] Delimited text enchancements

[Bob and Deb]

How about using Field in the VRT instead of using a CSVT?
 On May 25, 2013 12:16 PM, "Chris Crook" <ccrook at linz.govt.nz> wrote:

> Ok, I hadn't really thought about the browser much .. so far I've not used
> it much myself and nor have most of the people I work with.
>
> It certainly creates a challenge with delimited text files generally, as
> they don't have any inherent spatial intelligence.  So just dragging them
> to the map without a intermediate dlalog is going to be limiting.   Which I
> guess is where you are coming from with the CSVT/VRT file idea.  Seeing it
> in the browser makes it much clearer to me.
>
> I think it may be better to extend the CSVT idea than use VRT.  The
> advantage of CSVT is that it is implicitly associated with the data file.
>  The VRT file could be anywhere, and have any name - the user would be
> selecting the VRT file rather than the CSV file with the actual data.  It
> seems more intuitive to me to be selecting the data file.
>
> The CSVT file is also analagous to metadata files that are alongside
> images (eg world files), so there is a good precedent.
>
> Perhaps the way to go is to add more functionality to the CSVT file (to
> incorporate the features of the  VRT/DLT driver).  I wonder if the place to
> do the work is in GDAL/OGR, rather than in QGIS?  Once the capabilities are
> there, then the QGIS dialog would just be a way of writing the csvt file if
> you wanted to...
>
> So we would be looking at something more like a VRT file in content
> (though perhaps not XML in terms of end user accessibility) but
> automatically associated with the file by its name, rather than the other
> way round as in the VRT file.
>
> If we were doing that, then we might want to use something a bit more
> identifiable than just adding a 't' to the file name.  Maybe adding an
> extension like .gmd (geographic metadata) would be better.  Also much
> easier to identify with confidence in the browser, particularly since we
> wouldn't just be using data files with .csv extensions.
>
> Cheers
> Chris
>
> _______________________________________
> From: HAUBOURG [regis.haubourg at eau-adour-garonne.fr]
> Sent: 25 May 2013 22:20
> To: Chris Crook
> Subject: RE : Delimited text enchancements
>
> Hi Chris,
> you are right, reading csvt is enough at the moment, and merging
> spreadsheet with ogr data source in one only dialog might be complex and
> need prototyping.  In the other end, we have growing toolbars with more an
> more datasources, and many users switch to browser panel. I'm trying to
> have QGIS as simple as possible for the end users I manage here, and few of
> them have advanced informatic skills.
>
> I think I will first hire someone to prototype things as you suggest and
> submit it to community. Work is important if we want that all access
> (drag-drop / browser / toolbar menu) lead to same behaviour, but it's
> necessary.
>
> Thanks again, I see things more clearly now.
> Régis
>
> ________________________________________
> De : Chris Crook [ccrook at linz.govt.nz]
> Date d'envoi : samedi 25 mai 2013 00:42
> À : HAUBOURG
> Objet : RE: Delimited text enchancements
>
> Hi Régis
>
> Don't get too excited, I just said I wouldn't start looking at it till
> then!!!
>
> As it turns out, not true. I figured out overnight that adding reading the
> csvt file is a very small safe change, so I've pushed it up to master.
>  Hope no one minds - my first real commit since being given the privilege.
>
> So the provider will read .csvt files (or .xxxt files, basically the data
> file name with a 't' appended to it).
>
> A long way short of the ideas you were talking about, but a start.
>
> On your question about a unified vector dialog, I'm not sure.  I guess it
> may be good to mock something up in python first.  If I understand
> correctly you are wanting to add spreadsheets etc to the dialog, and manage
> the OGR drivers as well.  The dlt txt dialog is already busy with just it's
> own stuff, so I'm not sure how it would work.  Maybe something similar to
> the way renderers are handled, so each file type has its own widget.  Also
> the OGR/dlt txt options are different, so that could be challenging.
>
> My thinking so far is more about improving the dlt txt dialog so that it
> is easy to select all the options at once, or have them read from a
> metadata file if one is present...
>
> Cheers
> Chris
> ________________________________________
> From: HAUBOURG [regis.haubourg at eau-adour-garonne.fr]
> Sent: 25 May 2013 02:02
> To: Chris Crook
> Subject: RE: Delimited text enchancements
>
> Hi Chris,
> I wish I had some time to help you coding . That's faster than contracting!
> What is your opinion about a unified vector dialog? If I start a call for
> offers, I must at least be sure community agrees..
> Régis
>
> > -----Message d'origine-----
> > De : Chris Crook [mailto:ccrook at linz.govt.nz]
> > Envoyé : vendredi 24 mai 2013 08:40
> > À : HAUBOURG
> > Objet : RE: Delimited text enchancements
> >
> > Hi Régis
> >
> > I meant to say that I'm short of time for the next few of weeks but I'll
> > probably start on a first cut of the CSVT enhancements we discussed after
> > that as it will be really useful for me too.  It won't make 2.0 of
> course, as you
> > noted ...
> >
> > Cheers
> > Chris
> >
> > This message contains information, which is confidential and may be
> subject
> > to legal privilege. If you are not the intended recipient, you must not
> peruse,
> > use, disseminate, distribute or copy this message. If you have received
> this
> > message in error, please notify us immediately (Phone 0800 665 463 or
> > info at linz.govt.nz) and destroy the original message. LINZ accepts no
> > responsibility for changes to this email, or for any attachments, after
> its
> > transmission from LINZ. Thank You.
>
>
> This message contains information, which is confidential and may be
> subject to legal privilege. If you are not the intended recipient, you must
> not peruse, use, disseminate, distribute or copy this message. If you have
> received this message in error, please notify us immediately (Phone 0800
> 665 463 or info at linz.govt.nz) and destroy the original message. LINZ
> accepts no responsibility for changes to this email, or for any
> attachments, after its transmission from LINZ. Thank You.
>
> _______________________________________________
> Qgis-developer mailing list
> Qgis-developer at lists.osgeo.org
> http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/qgis-developer
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.osgeo.org/pipermail/qgis-developer/attachments/20130525/ca652190/attachment-0001.html>